Skull damage suggests Neandertals led no more violent lives than humans

[Judi Lynn]

1. Maybe Neanderthals Weren't Quite So Nasty And Brutish

November 14, 2018 3:44 PM ET
MERRIT KENNEDY

Neanderthals might bring to mind images of cartoonish brutes whacking each other with clubs.

But even though a number of Neanderthal skeletons have been unearthed showing grave head and neck injuries, new research suggests their lives weren't as violent as the stereotype implies.

In fact, the levels of cranial injuries for Neanderthals are very similar to those of early modern humans, according to scientists whose work was published today in the journal Nature.

"There is no statistical difference between the two, which means that they cannot be differentiated," says study co-author Katerina Harvati, a paleoanthropologist at the University of Tübingen in Germany.

More:
https://www.npr.org/2018/11/14/667818915/maybe-neanderthals-werent-quite-so-nasty-and-brutish